Touhou: East and West Incident
by Zoids Fanatic
Summary: There was once a powerful and evil god who was sealed away long ago. Well, that's what the stories say, anyhow. But what if this tale wasn't fiction, and was real? Ryouichi Hakurei and Yoshirou Konpaku are about to find out first hand that some legends are real and can put everything and everyone in danger. Rating will change. Title changed. Contains genderswap.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Touhou.**

**Note: Contains genderswapped characters, OCs... and really the same stuff I usually include in my stories... except character death. There will be a lot of OC death, violence, etc. Will also be entitled to rating swap later on.**

Chapter 1

Something wasn't right for Yuyuko Saigyouji as she sat in front of her kitchen table with an oblivious frown. No, there was nothing wrong with the Saigyou Ayakash, aside from it being an evil tree, nor was there anything wrong with Hakugyokurou, or the phantoms of the netherworld, or really anything with Gensokyo for that matter. No, what was wrong was the wooden kitchen table Yuyuko sat in front of. There was nothing on it. No rice, curry, meats or vegetables, pastries, no nothing. This was something that should have been taken care of already by a certain someone. Yuyuko flurried her brow as the obvious answer came to mind.

"I bet that Eientei girl is here." Yuyuko muttered to herself as she tapped her chin with a closed fan. "When she's here I never get food." She added as she got to her feet and slowly began to hover. "I'd better deal with this before I go hungry." So she slowly began to float out of the kitchen, down a few hallways, and finally to the bedroom of her gardener, who also acted like her cook, fencing instructor, and bodyguard. Sliding the door aside, she was greeted by the sight she was expecting. A man and a woman curled up under a futon.

The woman, with her purple-ish hair and rabbit ears was the "Eientei girl" Yuyuko was talking about earlier, Reisen Udongein Inaba. The man holding her in a deep embrace was Yuyuko's bodyguard, the white-haired half-phantom Yoshirou Konpaku. Now, on most occasions when someone finds a couple asleep, they would just let them be. But Yuyuko's stomach demanded otherwise.

"Yoshi!" she barked the nickname she had given to Yoshirou. "It's morning and there is no breakfast!" and with that, Yoshirou springed upright, pushing the covers away and revealing himself as dressed in a white sleeping robe. Reisen, however, was clearly nude and began to cringe when the cold air touched her.

"Ah! Mistress! I must have overslept! I am sorry." Yoshirou said as he zipped out of the futon and headed to the kitchen with his phantom half feverishly following behind him, leaving Yuyuko and Reisen behind without a second thought. Yuyuko sighed and tapped her chin with the fan. While she had no quarrel with Reisen, or anyone from Eientei for that matter, Yuyuko knew that every time the moon rabbit showed up her meals would be late. That's because Reisen and Yoshirou were currently in a relationship, a rather intimate one at that. The two started seeing each other nearly a year ago although their line of work normally kept them from being stuck together. However, when any free time showed up, it was guaranteed that the two would spend it together. If Yuyuko wasn't so hungry, she would have commented about the relationship being cute.

"I'll go check and see if anything is ready." Yuyuko gave a passing glance at the bare Reisen before slowly floating away. "I can see why he picked you."

* * *

The Hakurei Shrine was not the most impressive shrine in Gensokyo, or the most visited, or even the most well liked. It was, however, certainly the most known shrine. All of this was thanks to the red-and-white priest, or kannushi, that lived and worked in the shrine, Ryouichi Hakurei. Ryouichi, while being known for his laziness in his free time, was seen as being straightforward, optimistic, and at times curious. While the role of extermination of youkai and other duties that Ryouichi carried out on a regular basis would have likely gone to a shrine maiden or miko, the Hakurei Shrine was never blessed with one. So, being the sole inhabitant of the shrine, excluding the Three Fairies of light that lived by the shrine and Suika Ibuki who visits the shrine on a common routine, Ryouichi had to do everything. But of course he was not without allies and friends. Marisa Kirisame is a close friend of Ryouichi, as is the rather mysterious and annoying Yukari Yakumo.

There is also Sanae Kochiya, the shrine maiden of the Moriya Shrine and Ryouichi's girlfriend. It was a rather shock to some residents of Gensokyo that the two got together, as it was plainly expected that Ryouichi and Marisa would have gotten together. However, Marisa didn't seem to mind the pairing and actually supported it. However, unknown too many, Ryouichi's opinion on the relationship seemed to differ from Sanae's views. While Sanae was expecting something akin to an outside world relationship, Ryouichi figured that this relationship would be little more than the two sharing dinner at times. So they weren't exactly a perfect couple. But, at that moment, Ryouichi was busier with sweeping around the shrine then thinking about relationships.

"Oi! Ryouichi! I've come to play ze!" came the cheerful chirp of Marisa, who was sitting in her usual sideways position on her magic broom. Ryouichi moaned as he stopped sweeping and plopped his chin on the tip of his own broom, a gentle gust of wind waving his rather long untied hair.

"Hello Marisa." Ryouichi yawned. "Are you here to visit the fairies or are you here to bug me?"  
"You don't seem quite cheerful at all." Marisa replied as her hovering broom came to a stop a foot off the ground and Marisa demarked it, followed up by grabbing it and flipping it upright.

"Am I ever in the morning?" Ryouichi blankly replied, giving a brief sneeze due to the cold air.

"You are with Sanae around ze." Marisa grinned. Ryouichi didn't.

"So, care to come in for some tea then? You're already here and all."

"Can't. I have things to do and take care of. I came to give you this." Marisa reached into a hidden pocket and withdrew a letter with the Scarlet Devil Mansion seal on it. "It's from Sakuya-san of all people. Don't know what's in it." Marisa shrugged as she handed Ryouichi the letter. "And you didn't get this from me, but I think Sanae might be jealous of you spending time with so many other women ze." She added with a laugh while Ryouichi read the letter with a stern face. He sighed and folded it up.

"Well, I'd better be heading off myself." Ryouichi sighed. "Seems my services are needed."

* * *

"Here you go, mistress." Yoshirou presented the platters of food to Yuyuko, who gave a quick "thank you" before chowing down. Watching his mistress eat made him remember about Reisen, which then made him remember that she was still here. With a flustered face, he quickly left his mistress and sprinted to his room knowing full well that Reisen would not be pleased about him just up and leaving her. "S-Sorry!" he stuttered as he threw the sliding door to his room aside. As expected,she was sitting in the middle of the futon with the sheet to her body, a rather annoyed look on her face.

"Where did you go, Yoshi-chan?" Reisen asked with a sigh, noting that Yoshirou was quite tense at this moment. While "Yoshi" was quite the common nickname for the young man, Reisen was the only one to actually add "chan" or any other honorific to the nickname for that matter.

"To serve my mistress. I-I'm sorry." He apologized again. "With everything that happened last night and all, I sorta overslept."

"Well, it's fine." Reisen reinsured Yoshirou. "I've done the same when you stayed over with me." She added with a shiver. The last time the two tried to have an enjoyable moment together at Eientei, it was quickly ruined by Tewi and Eirin. From then on, if the two were to actually want a romantic moment alone, they'd do it at Hakugyokurou due to the lack of distractions so long as Yuyuko was fed. "Master is likely expecting me, so I must go soon." She added after a bit. "You'll have to forgive my sudden departure."

"Oh, no, it's fine." Yoshirou grinned. "I can accompany you back if you'd like."

"I would like that." Reisen replied with a blush.

"Alright. I'll go speak to my mistress to let her know I'm going while you, um, get dressed." Yoshirou quickly diverted his eyes from Reisen. "So, yeah." And with that he quickly scurried out of the room. He could be quite bashful at times, Reisen would admit. As he approached the kitchen, Youshirou overheard talk.

"Are you sure?" Yoshirou heard his mistress say.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. He is returning." Another voice replied, the voice of Yukari. While Yoshirou knew better than to eavesdrop on others conversations, especially his mistresses, he somehow felt compelled to listen in on the discussion.

"Well, what can we do?" Yuyuko asked her friend in a serious tone, unaware her bodyguard was overhearing the conversation. Across the table from Yuyuko sat Yukari, who had a stern face on.

"Nothing, I am afraid. If Valburk is truly returning, only the gods could stop him." Yukari waved her fan at her face.

"What about the miko and priest? Couldn't they…" but Yukari cut Yuyuko off with a shake of her head.

"No. A god, not just a user of the god's powers."

"Well, we know plenty of gods." Yuyuko reminded Yukari with the undertone of optimism. Yukari only sighed and shook her head.

"I fear that they may not have the power to stop him. I've been searching to see if there are any others that can help us. But the search has been fruitless."

"I see." Yuyuko replied with a light voice. "How long?"

"Who knows? Could be days, weeks, months, even years. I just know that Valburk may be returning." Yukari took a pause. "He might not actually be returning, but the recent incidents certainly didn't help either."

"I see."

"Well, sorry to disturb your meal." Yukari apologized after a brief silent. "On a happier note, my little Ryouichi is finally in love!" Yukari squealed while taking a quick glance at Yoshirou. It was obvious that Yukari knew he was there all along, though she wanted to let him in as well as Yuyuko. Feeling that it was time to stop eavesdropping, Yoshirou quickly headed back to his bedroom. He didn't need want to keep Reisen waiting. However, he began to wonder who this "Valburk" was.

* * *

Floating to the ground clad an in red-and-white kariginu, Ryouichi arrived at the Scarlet Devil Mansion in his usual timing of thirty minutes. The power of flight was generally common among Gensokyo citizens, and Ryouichi was no exception. Upon landing, he was greeted by the gatekeeper of the mansion, Hong Meiling, who was taking her usual afternoon nap.

"Um, Meiling-san." Ryouichi said as approached the gatekeeper, who leaped to her feet in a combat stance.

"Who goes the… oh, it's you Ryouichi-san." Meiling lowered her guard as she viewed the long-haired young man. Ryouichi's hairstyle was a bit strange for his gender, with a medium-sized ponytail in the back with two hair tubes in the front; though he never seemed to mind or notice for that matter. "What can I do for you?" Meiling asked.

"I was called." Ryouichi presented Meiling the letter. Quickly glancing over it, Meiling nodded. This was Sakuya's handwriting and the stamp of Scarlet Devil herself.

"Hmm. It all looks in order. Alright, you can go through." Meiling nodded, opening up the gate for Ryouichi, who thanked her and quickly entered the grounds. Now he just had to find Sakuya, who was actually waiting just outside the doors to the mansion. She bowed upon seeing Ryouichi.

"Good day, Ryouichi-san." Sakuya addressed Ryouichi.

"Sakuya-san." Ryouichi replied with a nod.

"I assume you got my letter." Sakuya asked as she ushered Ryouichi inside the large and mainly windowless mansion.

"I have." He nodded.

"Yes. Milady is in distress at this moment. That gap youkai was here the other day, requesting an audience with her. Of course the mistress accepted." Sakuya explained as she guided Ryouichi through the halls, greeting a few fairy maids on the way. "I found her later on looking quite ill. She even refused to eat her meal that night, and requested that I call for you as soon as possible."

"So, this was Yukari's doing, huh?" Ryouichi asked.

"Yes." Sakuya sighed as she approached a rather large door. "I offered my own services, but milady refused. She only wanted to see you."

"I'm honored." Ryouichi sarcastically replied, though Sakuya didn't seem to pick it up as she knocked on the large oak door in front of her.

"Milady? The priest is here, as requested."

"Good." A voice replied from the other side. "Bring him in and ready us some tea."

"Understood, milady." Sakuya nodded as she opened the door and ushered Ryouichi in. He quickly walked into the room and Sakuya shut the door behind him. In front of Ryouichi was a small formal table with two chairs, one of which was occupied by a small girl in a pink dress. The mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the Scarlet Devil herself, Remilia Scarlet. Despite her rather childish appearance, Remilia was quite old and powerful.

"Ah, Ryouichi!" Remilia cheered without leaving her chair.

"Hello, Remi." Ryouichi addressed the vampire by her nickname, something those employed under Remilia would never dare say. "So, apparently Yukari startled you or something. That's to be expected." Ryouichi hummed. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I'll get to the matter then." Remilia cleared her throat. "Yukari-san arrived the other day and told me about a being known as Valburk. Have you ever heard of it?"

"I can't say that I have." Ryouichi crossed his arms. Yukari never told him anything about a "_Valdburk_".

"Well, neither of us has heard of it either." Remilia replied. "Pache found an old tome that contains the name "Valdar", which referred to a god. So, we might be dealing with a god."

"Pardon?"

"Oh, yes." Remilia corrected herself. "Yukari was here early to warn me about Valburk, but her warning was rather vague. We have no clue who this Valburk is either, aside from possibly being a god."

"I see." Ryouichi nodded his head in confusion. "So, why did you call me?"

"Because I want you to investigate this Valburk; find out who or what he or she is." Remilia replied with a sigh. "I would send Sakuya to do this for me, but she is currently more interested in the gatekeeper then her job."

"So, to understand you correctly, you want me to go find information on or about this Valburk character, and report back to you." Ryouichi asked with a raised brow.

"Yes." Remilia nodded.

"Despite that this "investigation" having nothing to do with an incident, and may come up with the fact that this character is completely made up."

"Yes." Remilia crossed her arms and nodded. "I ask this as a favor for you."

"Favor? What have you done for me recently that deserve you a favor?" Ryouichi asked.

"For allowing you to sneak on my property." Remilia replied with a smug look.

"That's Marisa." Ryouichi replied. "Though, if you really want me to do this for you, I would actually like to ask for something in return."

"Like what?" Remilia tilted her head. "Money? Jewelry? Food?"

"An invitation for two to one of your parties of my choosing." Ryouichi waved a finger at Remilia, who replied with a confused look.

"An invitation for two, huh? That's reasonable then." Remilia sighed and shrugged. "You'll just owe me that favor later."

"Sure." Ryouichi replied sarcastically as he got up from his seat.

"Ah! Where are you going?" Remilia asked. "The tea hasn't gotten here yet!"

"Sorry, but I already have a lead." Ryouichi grinned.

* * *

"Valburk, huh?" Reisen asked as she and Yoshirou walked hand-in-hand down a forest-cloaked path. While both had the ability of flight, walking was usually preferred when they were wanted to talk or really just didn't want to go anywhere anytime soon. "I never heard of the that name before." She replied to the blushing Yoshirou. It really did hurt him that he was sharing eavesdrop information. It was borderline gossip!

"Y-Yes. I was just wondering if you heard of the name or any stories. Yukari sounded very worried by his "return", as did my mistress." Yoshirou sighed.

"Maybe master would know." Reisen replied. Yoshirou gulped in response.

"I-I don't think we should be sharing this information! If Yukari wanted to share this information she would have!" he added in a quick, but loud tone. Alerting one sneaky rabbit to the conversation.

"Something that Reisen is trying to hide?" the rabbit grinned. "Someone is going to be in trouble." She hummed.

* * *

"Hey, Sanae, I need some help." Ryouichi called out as he landed outside the steps of the Moriya Shrine. Standing in front of him was Sanae Kochiya, his girlfriend. The green haired miko, with her large bust and somewhat ditzy personality, was as usual excited to see her love.

"Ryou-chan!" Sanae cheered as she ran to the priest and hugged him tightly. Ryouichi lightly pattered her back in return. "I missed you so much, Ryou-chan. I wish you would visit more."

"You visit me practically on a day-to-day basis." Ryouichi sighed, trying to now get Sanae to release her grip.

"I know, but I wish we could be closer." Sanae sighed as she laid her head on his chest.

"Well, we're pretty close now."

"You know what I mean." Sanae gave a sly grin.

"Not going to happen any time soon." Ryouichi replied, knowing what Sanae meant. "Say, are Kanako-sama or Suwako-sama around? I need to talk to them." Sanae's face turned into a pout and she released her grip of Ryouichi.

"You're here to see them?"

"Yes, sorry." He pattered her shoulder and waited for an answer. Sanae sighed.

"Yes, Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama are home. I'll take you to them."

"Thanks Sanae-chan." Ryouichi smiled as Sanae led him up the steps of the shrine, being rather silent the whole way. Sanae, while having something akin to an obsession with Ryouichi, wasn't much of a fan of him seeing other women with the frequency that Ryouichi did. But, she was learning to accept this, but it annoyed her still. Reaching the actual shrine, Sanae loudly announced their presence, which awoke what appeared to be a young girl that was sleeping on a porch. One of the "owners" of the Moriya shrine, Suwako Moriya.

"Hmmm? Oh, Sanae, Ryouichi-san!" Suwako greeted the two.

"Suwako-Sama." Ryouichi replied. "I actually need a word with you." He added.

"Well of course you can marry…"

"Not that." Ryouichi frowned. "I need to ask you a question about the gods."

"Gods?" Both Suwako and Sanae tilted their heads in confusion. "Well, if you want to ask a question like that, you'd better come on in. We can't let people snoop on us." Suwako looked up at the sky, as she opened the sliding door and ushered the two into a small room. "So, tell me, what do you want to ask?" Suwako asked as she took a seat on one of the floor mats.

"Knowledge about a god." Ryouichi replied, talking a seat across from Suwako, Sanae sitting next to him. "What do you know about Valburk?" he asked, as Suwako's face went pale.

"How do you know about Valburk?" she asked in a stern voice.

"Yukari told Remilia who asked me to investigate." Ryouichi replied.

"Ryouichi-san, trust me on this. You do not want to investigate this matter."

"How come?" Sanae asked. "I'm sure it can't be all that bad, Suwako-sama."

"It is." Suwako nodded as she removed her large, frog-eyed hat and placed it beside her. "But, if you want to know, I can tell you." She sighed. "Valburk is known as a legend among us gods. No one knows if he exists or not. Valburk has been described as an evil, vengeful god. One that only wants to destroy all life. He was so evil that it took the power of four great gods to lock him away."

"And?" Ryouichi asked, looking at Sanae for a brief moment.

"Well, that's as much as I know. He was an evil powerful god that was sealed away." Suwako shrugged.

"Did he actually exist? All of this sounds pretty vague." Ryouichi replied.

"No one really knows. He was a legend back in my days."

"So, there is no way of knowing if this god actually existed?"

"Not really." Suwako shrugged again.

"Well, I thank you for your help then." Ryouichi replied as he stood up, planning on leaving. He got the information he wanted, and wanted to report back to Remilia as soon as possible.

"Valburk, huh?" came a voice from the edge of the room. With all three heads turned, Kanako casually strolled into the room and sat beside Suwako with one leg up and the other folded. "Don't trust what she has to say." The other god thumbed Suwako, who frowned. If anything at all, Suwako was around longer than Kanako. "You should have come see me first Ryouichi."

"I'm sorry, Kanako-Sama." Ryouichi bowed his head.

"All is forgiven." Kanako chuckled. "Now then, you want to know about Valburk?"

"Yes." Ryouichi replied with a sigh.

"He's an evil god from before the world was even made." Kanako started her tale. "A wicked and disgusting being, all the gods hated him. However, they all feared him because he was powerful. So, knowing this, four gods took it upon themselves to seal Valburk away. The god of war, the god of conquest, the god of famine, and the god of death were the four that took it upon themselves to make sure Valburk was sealed away." She paused for a moment. "So, with their powers combined, the formed a deep shell around Valburk and filled that shell with lava and rocks as so he could never escape. Without knowing it, those four gods created the world. Knowing full well that this prison would not hold Valburk forever, the four gods went into hiding within another sphere that circled the world, the moon. It's said that when the time is right, the four will leave the moon and finally vanquish Valburk." Kanako shrugged however. "Though that's just as the legend goes. From all my knowledge, it would appear he is the explanation of why the world was made. And it says that earthquakes are him trying to escape. It makes a very fun tale, but not really something to consider as "real"."

"So, to sum it up, a legend, right?" Ryouichi asked, trying to get the correct information to share with Remilia. "Just a legend?"

"Yes." Both Kanako and Suwako replied, both noting that Ryouichi seemed to be in a hurry to leave the shrine. In fact, Ryouichi was always seen wanting to leave the shrine as soon as possible when he visited. The two gods had other plans, as they both grinned at one another and Suwako spoke.

"Say, Ryouichi, it's kinda late. You wouldn't mind staying overnight in our shrine, would you? I would hate to have to send you all the way down the mountain in the dark." She added.

"Thank you Suwako-Sama." Ryouichi bowed with annoyance as he read the atmosphere. The two gods wanted him to connect with themselves and Sanae.

"Great!" Suwako clasped her hands together. "Sanae, go prepare a meal."

"Yes, Suwako-Sama." Sanae bowed as she got up and headed to the kitchen.

"And Ryouichi." Suwako turned to the priest. "You know where Sanae's room is. Please do make yourself at home. We'll call you when dinner is ready." She added with a light laugh while the priest got up and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Suwako frowned. "Why did you tell them? I thought we agreed that we wouldn't tell."

"Oh calm down." Kanako shrugged as she herself rose. "We told them it was a legend, and I doubt they'll believe it anyways."

"For your sake I hope you're right." Suwako replied.

* * *

"You're late." The white-haired Eirin Yagokoro gazed at Reisen. "Six hours late. Were you staying with that half-phantom boy again?" she asked, leaning on her occupied desk.

"Y-Yes, Eirin-sama." Reisen replied while Eirin frowned and looked at a sheet of paper.

"Well, Tewi told me you and that boy were walking around aimlessly and talking." Eirin added before Reisen could explain anything or come up with anything either.

"S-She did?" Reisen gave a false smile while annoyed. That damn earth rabbit, she thought to herself.

"Yes. But, we didn't have anything important to do today, so consider yourself lucky."

"Thank you E…"

"But I need you to test out this new drug." Eirin cut off Reisen and held up a small capsule. "It's something I made that allows the user to fake death. I need you to try a few to make sure it actually can fake death, and not real death."

"Yes." Reisen. replied with a sigh.

"Oh, and Reisen." Eirin added. "For your own sanity and safety, don't try to research Valburk. In fact, why don't you forget that name?"

"Is this an order, Eirin-sama?"

"It is." Eirin replied with seriousness.

* * *

**(A/N: Well, new story. So, some of you might be wondering why I genderswapped characters. To start off, it's not because I have any issues with yuri or any of the characters. It's because, to be actually honest, I saw genderswapped fanart of some of the characters and thought "wow, I wonder how it would be if someone incorporated this into a story" and then I thought "wait a minute, why don't I do that?". So, yeah, a piece of fanart made me write this. But, anyhow, I wanted to keep Youmu** **and** **Reimu in-character despite being swapped. So, I made sure that everything from the names and actions were picked right to be close to the originals. Be aware that I'm not perfect, so if there are glaring mistakes, please do let me know so I can fix them. Of course also know that some fanon was put into place... sorry bout that. Well, enjoy)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Reisen couldn't sleep that night. The whole "Valburk" thing was somewhat troublesome to her, especially since Eirin told her to not get involved. And while she was dedicated to Eirin, something bugged her.

"Damn." Reisen sat up in her bed and rubbed her strained eyes. She could talk to Yoshirou about it, though as the early conversation showed Yoshirou seemed to know less than Reisen. Who else could she talk to? She sighed as she slipped out of bed, dressing herself in a white robe as she exited her room. The person she was looking for was sitting outside on a porch, looking up at the sky. "Hey, Tewi, can I talk?" she asked Tewi Inaba, who turned at her and grinned.

"About what, usa?" she smirked.

"I need to know something and I figure you would know about it."

"Which is, usa?"

"Every heard of "Valburk" before?" Reisen got right to the chase. She wanted answers, not more questions.

"Valburk, hmm?" Tewi scratched her chin. "Nope, usa. Never heard of him." She replied with a shrug. Reisen sighed and sunk her face in her hands. "Though, if you wanna know about stuff, ask Hieda." She suggested, referring to Hieda no Akyuu. "She knows a lot and stuff."

"Hieda." Reisen paused for a moment. Hieda and Keine Kamishirasawa were two well-known historians living in the Human Village. Tewi suggested Hieda mainly because her family had nearly written down everything that had happened in Gensokyo. "I suppose you're right. Though, tell me Tewi, why would it be that you know nothing about this person while humans would?"

"Simple." Tewi waved a finger at Reisen. "I wasn't really concerned about such things when I was younger. I mainly focused on not being turned into rabbit stew, usa."

"Well, that is a decent excuse." she sighed, getting up from the porch.

"Where are you going, usa?"

"I want to set up shop early today." Reisen lied to Tewi. The rabbit just shrugged and looked up at the moon. She'll throw a blind eye to Reisen just this once.

* * *

"Hey, Ryou-chan, are you awake? Hey." Sanae poked the now awake Ryouichi, who wasn't so happy about being woken up.

"Yes?" He grumbled.

"What do you think about this Valburk guy?" Sanae asked as she adjusted her robe. Once again, Ryouichi rejected her advances.

"For the eighth time tonight, I think he's just a legend. Besides, why would Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama lie to us? They're not know to liars you know."

"True."She patted her chin. "But I can't help but feel their trying to hide something from us."

"If anything at all, they'd hide it from _me._" Ryouichi replied, sitting up. He wasn't so pleased he had to share the same futon with Sanae. Ryouichi was, to say the least, a strange lover. While he did of course care greatly for Sanae, willing to risk his life for her if the need arose, he did a great job of not showing it. He seemed hesitant to go out in public with her on dates and appeared to think a kiss with as much taboo as was sex. This was nothing like the relationships that cable TV had taught Sanae when she was younger.

"I guess you're right." She folded her arms together and laid next to Ryouichi. "Though I feel something is wrong. I don't know why though." She scrunched her arms closer and made a curious face.

"You're over worrying."

"You say that, but I've know those two longer then you have and I know when something is wrong. It's like the time they were planning to move and insisted on not telling me."

"Uh-huh." Ryouichi replied, lying back down on the futon. "I'm not sure I can make the connection."

"Well, back before we moved, Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama acted odd. They dropped small hints into everyday conversation about "leaving this place" and "going to another". I know they knew that I had friends in the outside world and didn't want to see me sad. So, they figured that by constantly telling me we were going to move, I would accept it more readily."

"Well, have they been dropping hints about a powerful being?" Ryouichi asked.

"Well, no. None that I know of."

"And have they been implying anything about "another God"?"

"No. They have been implying that I sleep with you, though."

"There you go, then." Ryouichi answered her with an annoyed face. "This whole Valburk thing is just a legend… I'm still not sleeping with you, though." He changed the subject.

"Well, why not? We're both young!" Sanae replied.

"That's not the point." Ryouichi replied. "I'm not going to sleep with you because I don't want to hurt you." Sanae became red at this. "Look, I understand the outside world looks upon intercourse as something one can do willy-nilly, but I view it as something special."

"I-If you say so." Sanae rolled on her side, face red. Ryouichi smiled. That should keep her quiet about sex for the next month or so. "Um, Ryou-chan?"

"Hmmm?" he muttered.

"You do love me, right?"

"Of course I love you." Ryouichi replied, placing a hand on Sanae's shoulder. "What would make you think otherwise?"

"J-Just checking." She gulped. At least she knew he cared.

The next morning, Ryouichi left the shrine early before Sanae or the others had woken up. He planned to get back to the Scarlet Devil Mansion as soon as possible. But before he could, he faced another man at the entrance to the shrine. Clad in a white blouse with matching black pants, the man held a camera in one hand and a notebook in the other. Though, as Ryouichi knew, this was no ordinary "man", but a Tengu. Though the wings sprouting from his back, the tokin hat, and the tengu geta gave that away.

"Ah, Ryouichi!" the man smiled. "Just who I was looking for! The pure and honest Shameimaru Arata is here for questions!" the tengu spoke. Arata Shameimaru, the reporting crow tengu and owner of the Bunbunmaru Newspaper. Also, an annoyance.

"If you are going to ask about the shrine, no we are not combining shrines." Ryouichi sighed. "Now, what do you want, Arata?"

"My my, a bit in a rush are we?" Arata smiled, tapping the notebook to his chin. "Though the shrine is not my topic today. My topic is the "Mysterious God. Who is it and why are residents asking?". Catchy title, no?"

"No."

"Well, the title is still being worked on." Arata sighed. "Anyhow, I'm here to ask you who this "mysterious" god is."

"God?" Ryouichi tilted his head. "What god?"

"You know, this mysterious and sinister-sounding god. Um… what's his name? Begins with a V."

"Don't know who you are talking about." Ryouichi lied.

"Ah!" he pointed a finger at Ryouichi. "That is where you are wrong. My sources" Tewi, in this case "Have told me that a few residents are in search of this mysterious being. And I happened to see you leave the mansion yesterday, so I knew something was amiss."

"Alright alright, fine." Ryouichi sighed. "Yes, there is a rumor going around about a "God", but I spoke to Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama. He is a myth."

"A myth, eh?" Arata began to scribble notes down. "And that's all you found out?"

"Yup. And I happen to be heading to the Scarlet Devil Mansion right now to report my findings. If you want to come, you can."

"I'll need to pass, then. I've got things to do, people to report. The usual. Well, cheers." And with that, Arata's wings spread and he quickly took off into the sky. What a strange man, Ryouichi thought to himself as he took off into flight. He needed to get things done as well.

* * *

"Well, this is certainly unexpected." Hieda said to Reisen as her servant presented the two with tea. A moon rabbit was the last person she expected to visit, especially one known for being anti-social.

"I'm sorry for intruding." Reisen apologized as Hieda sent her servant off. "I needed to know something. Do you know about a being known as Valburk? I know this is short-notice, so I am again sorry."

"Valburk? Yes, that name does sound familiar." Hieda rubbed her chin. "If I recall, there was a legendary being that had a similar sounding name. "Valdar" I think it was called." She closed her eyes for a moment to think. "Yes, Valdar. The God of Demons. Legend had it that he was sealed away before Gensokyo, or the world, was formed. The tale goes on to say he is still sealed deep underground." Hieda answered. "But, that's as much as I know about him and the legend."

"Thank you, then." Reisen replied with a nod.

"I'm sorry if this wasn't the help you were looking for." Hieda apologized. "You could go see Keine-san if you want another answer."

"Thank you." Reisen replied as she got up to leave. In truth, she had already seen Keine before coming to Hieda. The explanation was the same.

* * *

Having told Remilia what he had heard about Valburk, Ryouichi headed to back to his shrine to enjoy an afternoon meal. He had skipped breakfast, so his hunger was reasonable. But, unfortunately, he had a guest at the shrine. The drunken Oni, Suika Ibuki. A normal visitor to the shrine who never donated and most of the time just sat around and drank. Well, it wasn't so bad, Suika was a loyal friend.

"Hey, Suika, wake up." Ryouichi nudged the sleeping Oni with his foot. "You're asleep on my porch again. Wake up."

"Uh? Huh?" Suika blinked, looking up at Ryouichi. "Eh! Ryou-chan! How ya doing?" she slurred her speech. No one could remember the last time Suika was sober.

"Fine. Why are you drunk on my porch?" Ryouichi sighed.

"Welp. I was waiting for ya last night for… uh… wha' was I doing?" she scratched her chin and looked at her gourd. "Oh, right. I wanna'd to drink with ya. But I heard ya was hanging with that girly of yours."

"Oh. Yeah. Well, it wasn't planned." Ryouichi scratched his head. "Say, Suika, mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure." She took a swing of her gourd.

"Know of a Valburk?" he asked, to which Suika spat out her sake and began coughing.

"W-Where did ya hear about him?"

"From Remilia."

"Ryouichi, listen to me. Don't you dare, under any sort of circumstance, try to find out about this guy without me. He's dangerous?"

"Wait, what? I was told he was a legend!"

"A legend? Who'd told ya that sorta crap?"

"Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama." Ryouichi answered. He really didn't want to go back to the Scarlet Devil Mansion again.

"Of course they'd tell ya that shit! I've seen Valburk! He's powerful and nasty! He'll rip ya to shreds just by looking at ya. Thankfully he's sealed away in Former Hell."

"I thought he was sealed away in the Earth."

"He _was_. Not anymore." Suika stopped and chugged down some sake. "Wanna see 'em?"

"Didn't you just tell me to not…"

"I said _without _me. The power of the oni will protect ya!" she grinned. "Come on, Ryouichi. It's been years since we went underground. It'll be fun!" Suika tried to persuade Ryouichi. It had been years since he had gone to the underworld though. Suika followed along using an orb. Though Ryouichi wasn't really in the mood to go see a living legend, especially one who was as deadly as Valburk.

"Fine." He relented. Maybe there would be a learning experience out of this. Or he could get some faith from the oni. Suika cheered and suddenly took Ryouichi's hand and basically dragged him into the sky and right into Arata.

"Arararara!" Arata exclaimed as he, Ryouichi, and Suika nearly plummeted to the ground, though all of them were able to keep their balance and stay afloat. "Gah! Watch it! Oh, you two. Where are you going? Private getaway for the two lovers?" he smirked.

"No, we're going underground." Suika stated.

"What for?"

"Ryouichi begged me and beeeeeggggeeed me to go underground and see the Former Capitol."

"That's where all the oni hang out, right? Could a honest and pure reporter tag along, hmmm?" Arata asked while rubbing his hands together.

"I guess. Though don't take any pictures, or else I'll smash that pretty 'liddle camera of yours and then your face. Understand?" Suika waved a finger.

"Yes yes." Arata nodded with a grin. Both Suika and Ryouichi frowned, knowing that while Arata was never well known for being _entirely_ honest. "You can count on me!" and with that, the group headed to the underground. While the underground was a general term referring to basically everything under Gensokyo, the "Underground" the trio was heading for was an opening that led to the Former Capitol. Arriving at the entrance of a rather inconspicuous-looking cave, Arata and Ryouichi followed Suika into the cave. It had been years since Ryouichi entered these caves and he would rather have Suika as a guide compared to just wondering around in the dark.

_"Why am I doing this again?" _Ryouichi thought to himself as he followed Suika.

"Say, Ryouichi." Arata whispered to Ryouichi. "Don't you find this sorta odd?"

"How so?" Ryouichi whispered back.

"Well, Suika feeling fine to take us to the underground. Last time you were here you had to fight your way through. Could this be a ploy to kill us?" Arata suggested.

"Yes, I'm sure Suika is masterminding to kill us both and inherit the shrine and your newspaper." Ryouichi chuckled to himself as a spider came and rested itself on his shoulder. Ryouichi was about to flick it off, but Suika suddenly stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"We're by the Earth Spiders now." She said as the spider quickly jumped off Ryouichi's shoulder. "Best not to anger them."

"Oh, but you have." A figure who spoke from the shadows answered Suika. Said figure then dropped from the ceiling and presented herself to the trio. It was Yamame Kurodani, the earth spider. "A human, a Tengu, and an oni. A rather odd group, don't ya think." She glanced over at Ryouichi. "You're that priest that came here a few years before. I see you're not talking to yourself anymore. Guess you finally got help." Yamame spoke was a grin. "So, what brings the three of you down here?"

"We're here to go to the Capitol." Suika answered. "That's all."

"The Capitol? Didn't you hear? Something destroyed it yesterday." Yamame was rather unconcerned about the matter, but the trio was. Suika muttered something while Arata quickly began to scribble in his notebook.

"What destroyed it? What happened?" Ryouichi asked with a hint of worry. He was hoping this wouldn't become an incident.

"I dunno." Yamame shrugged. "Go see the bridge princess if you want more." The trio took the advice and hurriedly shuffled past Yamame, who grumbled about the rude people from the surface.

* * *

Having gained nothing of value from her visits in the Human Village, Reisen was already on her way back to Eientei. She sold most of the medicine Eirin made, though that wasn't really on her mind at that point.

"Hey! Reisen!" she heard a voice call out. It was Yoshirou, holding a basket full of fruit. "I was looking all over for ya!"

"Oh, Yoshi-chan." Reisen headed to Yoshirou. "Sorry, I was, ah, on the move today." She paused and looked at the basket. "Fruit for Yuyuko-sama?"

"Yes." Yoshirou sighed. "The Mistress had a craving for fruit, so she sent me out to get some." He rubbed the side of his head. "I figured you and I could have gotten some lunch together, but I couldn't find you."

"Sorry." Reisen apologized again. "I was trying to sell medicine... and find out more about Valburk…"

"Oh, him? I asked the Mistress about him last night. He's some God or something. She told me to not worry about it."

"I see." Reisen replied.

"Why, what did you find?" Yoshirou asked.

"The same." She sighed. "I know I shouldn't worry about something this trivial, but something is worrying me. I don't know what, though." Yoshirou patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Reisen-chan. I'm sure there is nothing to worry about." He tried to comfort her. She appeared to be particular worried today, with her eyes being slightly puff and light bags forming underneath. "Look, if you want, we can go and talk somewhere in private if you're that worried. Don't worry, my Mistress can wait."

"No." Reisen shook her head. "I need to report back to master anyhow."

"Oh, well, take care." Yoshirou waved at Reisen and began to walk away. Reisen watched him for a moment and then chased him.

"Wait! Yoshi!" she called out. Yoshirou turned to face her. "I know this is short noticed, but would it be ok if I stayed at your house tonight?"

"Um, sure." Yoshirou scratched his chin. "So long as your master is ok with it."

"I'll talk to her about it." Reisen nodded her head and then quickly headed to Eientei. "I'll meet you at your home if she says yes!" she called out. Yoshirou waved her goodbye with a smile.

* * *

"Jeeze, what happened?" Arata asked aloud as he, Ryouichi, and Suika arrived at the ancient bridge that led to the Capitol. The bridge seemed to have been heavily damaged, though still solid enough to cross over. The youaki associated with the bridge, Parsee Mizuhashi, was nowhere to be found.

"I dunno." Suika rubbed her chin. "That lowly youkai ain't here and the bridge is damaged some bad." She knelt beside a piece of wood that was dislodged from the rail of the bridge. "I tell ya an earthquake didn't cause this. This was on purpose."

"I think you might be right." Arata replied as the three began to slowly cross the bridge, making sure to avoid broken spots. "Look here." He pointed at the rail again. "This is a sword mark."

"And this is blood." Ryouichi added as he pointed to patches of red and black. "Whatever happened here, it wasn't a pretty spell card battle. Also, look." He pointed. "This blood trails."

"So, we're dealing with attackers? I can understand attacking the bridge youkai, but who in their right mind would try to attack oni? It's practically suicide!" Arata commented as Ryouichi noticed Suika going pale. He looked at what she was looking at, and went pale.

"I think this." Ryouichi called Arata, who went to the scene and was presented with a unsettling figure. While having a humanoid body, this creature was cloaked in what looked like rusty iron armor. Hiding beneath the armor was leathery red skin and a very thin body. The back of the creature were two medium-sized wings covered in a scaly-like hide. The head, which appeared to have been bashed in by a rock, looked like that of a horse with black cat-like eyes, sharp teeth, and three horns protruding from the top. "Doesn't look like a friendly spell card battle."

"I-Is this an oni?" Arata asked as he wrote down a quick description of the creature. "It has horns."

"No." Suika replied. "This ain't no oni. Us oni's are jolly and great looking. This thing is scary and ugly."

"Could be a sub-species of oni." Ryouichi suggested.

"No, not that either." Suika poked at the creature. "Seemed that this thing was the one that was bleeding all over the place, the trail follows it."

"And here's a sword." Ryouichi pointed to a rusty and savage-looking blade. "Not a blade I've seen before. Looks Western."

"So we got an attacker. But I don't think this thing alone could have taken out the bridge youkai or the entire Capitol." Arata replied as a similar creature went flying through the air and collided with a nearby rock, the creature dying on impact. Seeing this, the trio hurried to where the creature had arrived from. What they found were an oni, Yuuma Hoshiguma, and Parsee surrounded by five of those creatures. Despite having the same bodily features and wings, each creature carried a different weapon and had a different head. But by the look of Yuuma, he had been fighting for quite some time. Parsee seemed to have been cowering behind Yuuma.

"Shit, these things are a pain in the ass." Yuuma wiped some blood away from his mouth. While powerful and having great regeneration ability, being attacked by five separate enemies at once could cause some problems. One of the creatures, carrying a spear, lunged at Yuuma and impaled him through the side. Yuuma just clinched his teeth, grabbed the creature by the neck and proceeded to punch it in the face. The head went flying while to body just hung in Yuuma's hand. He tossed it aside and ripped the spear from his side, swatting one creature away with it with a swing that proceeded to break the spear into pieces. Just as he dropped the spear and turned around, one of the creatures took flight and was about to strike but a sudden gust of wind struck the creature and sent it colliding into the ground.

"Don't worry! The brave Shameimaru has arrived!" Arata cheered as he manipulated the underground wind to do his bidding. The creature, only slightly phased, landed on the ground with cat-like reflexes and charged straight at Arata. It was stopped after Suika slammed a fist right into its stomach and sent it flying into a rock. With three of the creatures done for, the two remaining creatures fled.

"Cowards." Yuuma spat into the ground. "Bastards can't even put up a good fight." He creaked his neck and kept a firm hand on Parsee's shoulder. "You ok?"

"Yeah. Just… jealous." Parsee replied.

"You could ask us how we're doing!" Arata injected into the conversation.

"Ah, I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Shameimaru Arata, the brave and honest reporter!" Arata introduced himself. Suika and Ryouichi coughed. "Oh, these two as well."

"Hey, Suika!" Yuuma greeted the smaller oni, a longtime friend of his, with a hug. Despite the jealousy of Parsee, who her bit her thumb and mumbled to herself. "And you! You're that priest I fought before! How are you doing!" he greeted Ryouichi with a firm hand on the shoulder.

"Alright alright, let's cut the greeting. What are those 'hings and what happened to the Capitol?" Suika demanded.

"Ah, yes." Yuuma rubbed the back of his neck. "It's best to see it to believe it."

* * *

"Didn't you stay over at that boy's house yesterday?" Eirin answered Reisen's request to spend time at Yoshirou's house.

"W-Well yes… but it's important." Reisen looked at her feet.

"Are you in heat again?" Eirin glanced over at her pupil with a look of disappointment.

"No master! It's just that…"

"That?"

"Look, master, it's just important to me."

"Well, if you're so desperate to see him, he can come here. But you may not make love to him, though." Eirin directed. Reisen thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"T-That will be fine, Master." Reisen bowed her head and sighed. It would be no use against Eirin, especially after Reisen had gone against her masters wishes.

* * *

"So, this is it." Yuuma presented the group what was left of the Capitol. Really, nothing was left of the Capitol. The entire city was replaced by a massive, wicked looking tower that was surrounded by what looked like a river of lava. While at a distance, the group could see many small things flying around the tower and landing on crooked platforms or the tower itself. "Those of us that escaped saw this thing literally grow out of the ground and engulf the Capitol. Then those things appeared and attacked. We don't know what they are, but we know they wanted us gone."

"So, what are they?" Arata asked, taking notes about the spiral.

"The tower or those creatures?"

"Both." Arata asked.

"Dunno." Yuuma shrugged.

"What about the Komeiji? The nuclear reactor?" Ryouichi asked.

"I think I saw them with the others. Not sure about a "reactor" or anything like that." Yuuma placed a hand on his hip, another on Parsee's shoulder. While most of the survivors headed to a safe haven, Yuuma went after Parsee.

"What about Valburk?" Ryouichi asked. "Could these things be here because of him?" Arata looked at Ryouichi and scribbled something down. This "rumored" god wasn't so rumored anymore.

"Wouldn't surprise me at all." Suika replied. "Though I don't feel safe here at all. Let's get to the surface." It was something that the group agreed upon as they left in haste. Yuuma and Parsee, who have been living underground for years at this point, suffered a bit because of the sun and the fact they weren't confined within a rocky cavern. After leaving the tunnels, the group decided upon the Hakurei Shrine as their next stop. This didn't exactly please Ryouichi, but he decided to let this slide and focus more on the daunting issue at hand.

"So, to understand completely, these things appeared out of nowhere and attacked." Ryouichi asked as he nibbled on a rice cracker he had presented to the group. Yuuma shook his head.

"Yup." He stated as he crossed his arms and frowned. "But I don't know what they are after. It couldn't have been territory. The underground is full of free space. That and attacking us Oni's is a pretty stupid idea." Yuuma spoke more than Parsee, understandable really.

"Hey, Suika, didn't you say they could have arrived for Valburk?" Ryouichi turned his attention to the other oni, who was drinking her sake rather quickly.

"Could be, I said, but I dunno. Last I checked, that guy wasn't trying to gather an army."

"What about the surface?" Arata asked. "What if they were to get here? Then what? We saw that tower. It was filled with thousands, maybe even millions of those monsters."

"I didn't see any of them trying to reach the surface." Yuuma scratched his chin. "If anything, they wanted the area clear of anything but themselves."

"What about their strength?" Ryouichi turned back to Yuuma. "They clearly don't play by the spell card rule and it seems they're after blood." Yuuma sighed, knowing he was going to have to answer more questions.

"Individually they aren't that powerful. But they attack in swarms, which is the problem. Another issue is that what we were fighting appeared to be the basic form they have. I saw some pretty scary looking ones, which I assume are either in charge, more powerful, or both."

"Classic tier system then." Arata mentioned.

"I'll tell ya one thing, they ain't organized. They run amuck, fight each other, and run away if they aren't in larger groups. If they're planning on building an army or something, then those things are out of luck."

"Well, we won't have to worry about the surface then." Arata replied to Yuuma. "But in the case of conflict, I wonder how we'll fair. Our defense forces could hold against an attack, but I'm not sure for how long."

"I think we should focus more on short term here." Ryouichi spoke. "What should we do, or can we do? We know these things are hostile, but do we know what their goal is? For all we know, they may just want to live in those little caves downstairs." The rest nodded. While the creatures were aggressive, as of current no one knew their motive. "If I had to say anything, the best course of action right now is to just wait and do nothing." This was something Ryouichi was bound to say. "Though I'm going to have a talk with Yukari about this." He said while getting up from his seat. "I don't mind you guys staying here, but please don't make a mess of things." And with that, he was off to go talk to Yukari. The four stayed behind and just shrugged, Arata and Suika were actually surprised to see Ryouichi take this sort of incentive rather than waiting around for someone to call on him.

* * *

"Oh my, Ryouichi. This is certainly something." Yukari grinned as Ryouichi greeted her. To his surprise, the two other residents of the Yakumo household, Ran and Chen, were absent. Though he was more focused on Yukari then them. "What can I do for you? Are you having love issues? Abusive relationship? Want to find a mistress?" All of her questions appeared to focus of Ryouichi's love life.

"No." Ryouichi shook his head. "I want to know what's going on with the underground. I was just there, I saw those things and that tower." He got right to the point and spoke in a very accusing manner. "What's going on? Suika and Arata have no clue either."

"So, curiosity took the best out of you, hmmm?" Yukari sighed and leaned back on the floor. "Ryouichi, why did you go to the underground?"

"Suika." He replied.

"And why didn't you let the matter drop? It's not like you to get interested in something like this." She spoke in a mild tone.

"Remilia also said you spoke to her, so she sent for me and asked me to investigate the matter."

"She did now." Yukari tapped her chin.

"Look, tell me what is going on." Ryouichi demanded. Yukari sighed and glared at Ryouichi. It was very unlike him to ever raise his voice at anyone, especially Yukari.

"Alright. I'll tell you. Gensokyo is being invaded by creatures known as "Western Demons". They want to summon Valburk back." She paused for a moment. "And if they achieve that, the world as we know it will be no more."

"So, what do we do then?" Ryouichi asked with a stern face and shaking legs.

"Well, for now, I need to send you and that shrine maiden to the outside world." Yukari replied as she rubbed her chin.

"What? Why?" Ryouichi protested with anger. "I need to be here!"

"No, you don't. Look, Ryouichi, things are going to be tough right now." If that wasn't an understatement of the century, Ryouichi didn't know what was. "So, I need you, Sanae, and a bodyguard to go to the outside world and meet with my shikigami. She'll explain what it is going on from there and direct you from there." Yukari explained to a somewhat confused Ryouichi. "I'm sure you can get the shrine maiden. I'll get the bodyguard." He nodded in response.

* * *

"Oh Yoshirou!" Yuyuko cheered as she slid away the door to Yoshirou's room, startling the young man.

"Mistress! W-What is it?" he asked nervously. He was just in the middle of enjoying a nap.

"Yukari called for you!" Yuyuko smiled, taking the young man by the shoulder and pulling him.

"Um, Mistress. I have a plans already!" he said, which was something Yoshirou rarely ever said. In truth, he was planning on Reisen spending the night. That didn't seem feasible at this time due to his master's request. However, if by either sure luck or bad timing, Yuyuko and Yoshirou found Reisen in the main hallway. She was here to tell Yoshirou he could spend the night at her home.

"Oh. Yuyuko-sama. Am I interrupting anything?" Reisen asked the ghost.

"Not at all!" Yuyuko replied with a gleam in her eyes, which was really never a good sign. In meant Yuyuko was about to eat something or someone, or that she had a mischievous idea. For Reisen and Yoshirou's sake, it was the former. "In fact, we were just about to get you!" she lied. She really had no clue that Reisen was even going to show up. She really needed to give Yoshirou the "talk". "You see, Yukari had requested Yoshi-chan. And seeing as you just got here, why don't you go with him? You can control those, um, _waves_ right?"

"Well, in a sense, yes." Reisen replied, eyeing Yoshirou to get a reading of the situation. From his looks, he was as confused as her.

"Good. You can keep tabs on Yoshi-chan then, just like a steak keeps tabs on a sauce." She added a food metaphor that made really no sense.

"I suppose I could." Reisen replied, Yuyuko dropping her grip on Yoshirou and pushing him to her.

"Well, do that for me. Portals on the left. Well, bye!" and with that, Yuyuko hovered away. Reisen and Yoshirou looked at each other in bewilderment but hesitantly followed orders.

"I thought we were just going to spend the night." Reisen muttered to Yoshirou.

"I'm sorry, but the Mistress asked me to report to Yukari-sama. I can't really decline her requests, can I?" he replied with a hint of sarcasm.

* * *

With the unusual addition of Reisen, Yukari had gathered all the persons that she needed. Ryouichi, Sanae, Yoshirou, and Reisen. After giving a brief explanation as to what was going on, something that surprised and worried the three newcomers, Yukari went straight to her plan.

"Now, I know this is scary, but I should tell you that we have at least a week to prepare. I have already contacted some of my associates, and we will try to stall this matter for as long as we can." Yukari added. She was well known by all the strong Youkai. "But, we can't stall forever. We will need help, and this is why I need the four of you to get an ally for our cause."

"An ally from the outside world?" Sanae questioned.

"Why not? That tanuki was called in by the Myouren Temple in their time of need. I see no problem with calling in a friend to aid Gensokyo during her time of need."

"Friend?" Ryouichi asked. "You know this person?"

"Why yes." Yukari pointed a gloved finger at Ryouichi. "Though we're not so much "friends" as acquaintances. He owes me a favor or two."

"May I ask what this friends name is?"

"Nope." Yukari waved a finger a Ryouichi. "You will find that in due time. Now, I want you all to hurry up. Time is of the essence and we can't keep burning it." And with that, she opened up a portal, or gap, in the middle of the air. She then waved for the four to enter it. With great reluctance, each one of them did. Each one of them was nervous, as the outside world was something they had, with the exception of Sanae, dealt with. So whatever was on the other side of the gap was going to be something completely different from what they had lived around and with for so many years. The people would be different, the food would be different, and they were also running on a timer. They had one week to get this ally, least they Gensokyo and the world finds itself in a lot of trouble. With the portal closed, Yukari sighed and tapped her chin. It was now time for her to gather allies in Gensokyo. She already knew that she had a few people on her list, people like Suika, Yuyuko, Yuuka could be persuaded to help if need, Eirin, and the two gods of the Moriya Shrine.

While that lot could be seen as powerful, Yukari feared it wouldn't be enough. She knew, however, who she would have to contact and get on her side. She needed to get a Yama on her side.

* * *

**(A/N: Finally, chapter 2 is done. You wouldn't believe how many times I rewrote this chapter. Anyhow, that's about it. If you're curious about more characters being genderswapped, I kinda lied. There will be more. Guess I couldn't just leave it at two, could I? Anyhow, that be about it. Enjoy.)**


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